The O’Donnell Foundation announces the 19th annual Young Masters Exhibitionon view February 25 - April 16, 2017 at the Dallas Museum of Art (DMA)in the Concourse Gallery. The exhibition features selected original works created by Advanced Placement® Studio Art, Art History, and Music Theory students from ten Dallas-area high schools, participating in the O’Donnell Foundation’s AP Arts Incentive Program. The following twenty-eight students from Plano high schools were selected for the exhibition:

Kevin Bai, Plano West Senior High School, Music Theory

Emma Brown, Plano West Senior High School, Studio Art

Sandy Bush, Plano East Senior High School, Studio Art

Daniel Che, Plano West Senior High School, Music Theory

Aria Child, Plano East Senior High School, Studio Art

Badia Dhailia, Plano West Senior High School, Studio Art

Tyler Edmonson, Plano Senior High School, Studio Art

Zhiyuan Fan, Plano Senior High School, Studio Art

Kristen Forbes, Plano East Senior High School, Studio Art

Annette Hui, Plano West Senior High School, Studio Art

Ginny Jeon, Plano West Senior High School, Studio Art

Sarah Kanu, Plano West Senior High School, Studio Art

Elena Koung, Plano East Senior High School, Studio Art

Gahwon Lee, Plano West Senior High School, Music Theory

Joy Lian, Plano Senior High School, Studio Art

Christina Lu, Plano West Senior High School, Art History

JoAnn Nguyen, Plano East Senior High School, Studio Art

Lori Nguyen, Plano East Senior High School, Studio Art

Tiffany Ouyang, Plano West Senior High School, Studio Art

Jake Parker-Howe, Plano West Senior High School, Music Theory

Karina Ramirez, Plano Senior High School, Studio Art

Sanjay Salem, Plano West Senior High School, Studio Art

Caitlin Savage, Plano East Senior High School, Studio Art

Megan Shen, Plano West Senior High School, Art History

Pratiksha Tonpe, Plano West Senior High School, Studio Art

Helen Xiu, Plano West Senior High School, Studio Art

Elaine Zhang, Plano West Senior High School, Studio Art

Tristan Zhang, Plano Senior High School, Music Theory

Selected by a panel of respected professionals from the arts and music fields, the 2017 exhibition features 65 original pieces chosen from 896 works submitted by AP Fine Arts students. The exhibition includes fifty-four 2-dimensional and 3-dimensional works of art created by AP Studio Art students, five essays analyzing works of art in the DMA’s permanent collections by AP Art History students, and six 4-minute original compositions by AP Music Theory students.

Schools represented in the exhibition are Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts (BTWHSPVA), Colleyville Heritage High School, Coppell High School, Creekview High School, Grapevine High School, Lovejoy High School, Plano East Senior High School, Plano Senior High School, Plano West Senior High School, and Richardson High School.

“The Young Masters Exhibition recognizes outstanding intellectual and creative expression in students participating in our AP Arts Incentive Program. In its nineteenth year, the students’ work featured in the exhibition continues to inspire,” remarked Edith O’Donnell, founder of the program. “The talented students who participate in our program and complete rigorous AP arts and music coursework build essential skills to ensure their success in the 21st century global economy, including stimulating innovation, cultivating critical thinking and developing a greater understanding of diverse cultures. I continue to be very proud of their accomplishments.”

The O’Donnell Foundation’s Advanced Placement Fine Arts Program was founded twenty-three years ago to motivate high school students’ interest and success in rigorous college-level fine arts courses. This year, 137 teachers and 1,661 students from 16 Dallas-area high schools participate in the program. Courses include AP Art History, AP Studio Art Drawing, AP Studio Art 2D Design, AP Studio Art 3D Design, and AP Music Theory. Pre-AP courses may include any classes that prepare students for AP arts courses. The Foundation also provides superior AP and Pre-AP training in the schools that participate in the program.

Based on the 2016 College Board AP fine arts qualifying exam results of a “3” or higher, the Foundation’s grant schools account for 19% of the state’s qualifying AP Fine Arts exams; 29% of the state’s qualifying AP Art History exams, 25% of the state’s qualifying AP Music Theory exams, and 13% of the state’s qualifying AP Studio Art exams. Eight of the Program’s schools are included in the top ten state rankings for comprehensive AP Fine Arts schools (campuses that offer all three disciplines: AP Studio Art, AP Art History, and AP Music Theory). Eighty-nine percent of the Foundation’s AP Fine Arts students taking an AP Fine Arts exam in 2016 received a qualifying score.

Since its founding in 1994, more than 19,000 arts and music students have benefited from the O’Donnell Foundation’s AP incentive programs. Last year, graduating seniors earned over $34 million in scholarships.